CONSERVATION
IUCN Redlist category Least Concern (IUCN 2020)
Rationale for redlist categorization Pachliopta antiphus has been assessed as Least Concern. This species was not assessed in a global status assessment of swallowtails in 1985 by Collins and Morris, as it was still considered at this point a subspecies of Atrophaneura ( Pachliopta ) aristolochiae. This species has a wide range across many islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, giving rise to a large extent of occurrence. It is likely to occur in many localities and may be impacted by localised threats from habitat loss in some parts of its range, giving rise to a potentially large number of locations for this species. (IUCN 2020)
Threat category Ecosystem conversion (IUCN 2020)
Cause of stress Agro-industry farming (IUCN 2020)
Described Threats The major threat to this species is habitat destruction. Deforestation of the rainforest it inhabits may lead to a decrease in food, as its food plant, Aristolochia, is also likely to be impacted. Current deforestation rate in Borneo is 1.3 million hectares per year, to clear space for palm oil plantations and pulp plantations (WWF 2018e). A similar trend in habitat loss is occurring in Sumatra, particularly in the Riau province. However, the tropical rainforest of Sumatra is currently protected in three large national parks, and is considered a world heritage site by the UNESCO. This aims to preserve the biodiversity of the region, and therefore it is likely that this will promote the survival of the butterfly population, on this island at least, although research is required to establish the species' occurrence in these protected areas. (IUCN 2020)
Commercial use This species can be found on insect-trade.eu for sale for between $1-3 (September 2018). It can also be found for sale on 'Inscects and More' for €12 (September 2018). However, the extent to which it is utilised for and impacted by trade is unknown. (IUCN 2020)
Kind of conservation needed Site/area protection (IUCN 2020)
Applied conservation actions There are no species-specific conservation measures in place. However, the species is likely to occur in a number of protected areas across its range, although further research is required to establish whether the species is present within these protected areas. For example, tropical rainforest of Sumatra is currently protected in three large national parks spanning an area of 2.5 million hectares, and is considered a world heritage site by the UNESCO. This aims to preserve the biodiversity of the region, and therefore it is likely that this has the potential to promote the survival of the butterfly populations. Although deforestation rates in the Philippines have declined over recent years, only 5% of forests are protected (Butler 2014). Danielsen and Treadaway (2004) assessed representation of butterfly species in conservation planning in the Philippines, and found that at the time of their research, subspecies elioti (which they considered to be Endangered in the Philippines) did not have a population within the current system of priority protected areas. It might be beneficial for the forests where this species occurs to become protected areas. Furthermore, it is important that the rainforests of Borneo are protected and that this is efficiently enforced. Research into the foodplants of this species is also recommended. (IUCN 2020)
REFERENCES
- Butler, R. 2014. Philippines. Available at: https://rainforests.mongabay.com/20philippines.htm. (Accessed: 12th September).
- IUCN. 2020. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2020-3. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 10 December 2020).
- WWF. 2018e. Deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra. Available at: http://wwf.panda.org/our_work/forests/deforestation_fronts/deforestation_in_borneo_and_sumatra/. (Accessed: 26th September 2018).